Shaft-support.



4 O 9 1 7 E N U J D B T N E T v A P E. 000K &IJ. MILLBR SHAFT SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.16. 1903.

no MODEL.

In wen for-84 qlfo rn ega'.

UNITED STATES Patented June '7, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

SHAFT-SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 762,027, dated June 7, 1904.

Application fil d November 16, 1903' Serial No, 181,304. (No model.)

T 0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, EUGENE 000K and JOHN MILLER, citizens of the United-States, residing at Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shaft-Supports, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in shaft-supports, and has for its object to provide an improved device which will support the shafts and take the weight of same from the back of the horse while he is traveling.

The invention consists in the novel construction of parts, as hereinafter shown and described, and particularly pointed out in the claim.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 illustrates a side elevation of the rear portion of the shafts and a vertical section of the axle, the bolster, and the lower part of the front spring and shows our improved device. Fig. 2 illustrates a diagrammatic plan view of the shaft-support device, and Fig. 3 illustrates a perspective detail view of the loop which is secured to the cross-bar of the shafts where the swingletree is attached.

Referring to the drawings, the letter a designates the front axle, and I) the bolster mounted above the same, and on which latter the front spring v0 is secured by a suitable clip (l in a well-known manner. Only the lower part of the front spring is shown. The shafts c are secured to the axle in any wellknown manner and are provided with the usual cross-bar f and swingletree g.

A U-shaped plate It is secured in ahorizontal position to the clips d, holding the base part of the front spring and bolster by means of the nuts 2', and the U-loop part of said plate projects forward toward the shafts 'e. The

curve of this loop or plate It is concentric with respect to a center formed by the king-bolt. (Indicated in Fig. 2 by broken lines.)

A loop 1' is secured to the cross-bar f of the shafts and is provided with two hook-prongs which latter straddle or take on opposite sides of the swingletree bolt or shackle, and said prongs take down the front side of said cross-bar and are secured in place by screws or bolts 1' The ends of the prongs are turned back under the cross-bar. The loop 1' projects backward toward the U-shaped loopplate It.

We provide a special form of connection between the U-shaped plate It and the loop on the shafts. This connection comprises two partsto Wit, an adjustable part and a yielding part. The adjustable part has a turnbuckle Z and threaded hook-bolt m, working in one end of the turnbuckle, whereby to shorten or lengthen the connection. The hook m engages the U-sha ped hook it. The yielding part has a compression-spring n attached to the other end of the turnbuckle and is provided with an eye n, secured to the loop on the shafts. By this connection a double result is producednamely, the connection may be shortened or lengthened to allow the shafts to be slightly raised or lowered, and also a de gree of elasticity is given to the parts that prevents undue strain on the clips or bolts if the horse should stumble or fall.

It will be seen the U-shaped loop 7L, secured to the clips holding the lower half of the spring and bolster, curves concentrically from a center formed by a king-bolt of the front axle a, as shown in Fig. 2, and as this U-shaped loop does not turn when the front axle and shafts are turned the hook m, that engages said loop, will easily slide around on the said concentric curve of the loop to accommodate the turning of the front axle. By disengaging the hook 972/ from the loop 72, the shafts may be dropped to the ground.

-Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The herein described improvement comprising the shafts; a plate having two prongs secured to the front spring and bolster of the vehicle, saidprongs connected by a loop, h,

curved concentric with respect to a center formed by the l ing-bolt, and a shaft-support ing connection one end of which is attached to the shafts and the other end loosely coupled with said curved loop, whereby when the front aXle and shafts are turned said coupling may slide around on the concentric curved loop.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in the presence of two Witnesses.

EUGENE COOK. 7 JOHN MILLER. Witnesses:

FILLMORE OooK, MARY HUGHES. 

